Chase's Scars
by Shade88
Summary: Chase has a dark secret that he has been hiding from all of his friends, even Zoey. When the anniversary of his tragic secret comes, will he be able ot keep himself together? Choey at the end.
1. Chapter 1

Chase's Scars

**(A/N: I really have no idea how far this story will go. The idea came to me because I noticed that Chase is never seen without his shirt on, even when everyone else is. I am writing this story from personal experiences, so it will be very accurate and good, but also kind of sad for some of you, um emotional viewers. This will take place in the episode Girls Will Be Boys and will end around Chase's Grandma. Enjoy.)**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Zoey 101.**

Chapter 1: That Was Close

It was late on a Friday night at PCA. Chase was still awake at 1:30 a.m. His roommate Logan was asleep on the single bed while his temporary roommate, Steve, was above him. As Chase lay tired on his bed, he could not help but remember what the date would be in a few days, November 10. It was the date of his life changing endeavor.

'I can't believe that in two days it will be five years since it happened,' thought Chase. He stuck his right hand under his shirt and felt his way upward to the top of his left pectoral. It was here that his hand stopped moving as his index finger traced the outline of the one and a half inch scar **(A/N:about 4 centimeters for you non American readers) **that was there.

Chase sighed as he moved his finger about one half inch below the scar to feel several smaller scars that were clustered together. He removed his hand as a tear began to roll down his face. He looked at the alarm clock.

1:45 a.m.

'Great. I guess I should try to get some sleep,' thought Chase. He rolled onto his left side, and within the next few minutes, Chase was fast asleep with tears in his eyes.

However, if Chase had known of the nightmare that awaited him, he might have chosen to stay up for the night.

Chase's P.O.V.

**(A/N: This is his dream or nightmare I should say.)**

I woke up in extreme pain. As I realized that I was awake, I noticed that I was out of

surgery. I became extremely scared. I was awake, but my eyes would not open. I was crying so much, it hurt all over. The tears would not leave my eyes because my lids were glued shut. I also realized something else that added to my pain, my lack of oxygen. I could not breathe. As I struggled to intake as much air as possible, I cried even harder. A soft, gentle hand grabbed mine, and I calmed down a bit. As I struggled to breathe in an eternal darkness, my eyes finally opened. I was no longer in pain because I was actually awake in my dorm. I noticed the light of the morning sun pouring through the window.

'One more day,' I thought.

Normal P.O.V.

After the occupants of the boy's room awoke, they got ready for the water basketball game.

'Oh man. I forgot about this,' thought Chase. He rubbed his hand through his bushy head. Although he had been shirtless in front of his friends before, somehow they did not notice his scars.

'Maybe it's because I'm so white. I glisten so much they don't notice,' thought Chase. He smiled as he got dressed.

Chase placed his towel conveniently over his scars. As he and Logan walked towards the pool, Chase noticed that the pool was still in the shade of the building. There would be no glistening today.

"Logan I really don't want to play today," protested Chase with hesitation.

"Really? First Steve and now you?" retorted Logan with annoyance.

"Yes I don't want to."

"I don't care Chase. You're playing," commanded Logan.

Quinn placed her snake in the water, smiling like a mad genius.

"SNAKE!" yelled a random boy.

As dozens of boys scrambled to get out of the water, Steve got knocked in, much to the dismay of Logan and Chase.

"LOLA?!" shouted the two boys.

'Now's my chance. No one will see,' thought Chase to himself.

"Well, see ya!" yelled Chase as he ran away from the chaos and soon-to-be troubles that would come with finding out that Steve was actually Lola. As Chase ran across campus, he came upon a flight of stairs.

'Oh no.' Chase tried to jump them, but he landed on one of the steps and tripped the rest of the way down. He felt warm blood ooze out the fresh cut on his arm. Although Chase noticed the blood, he did not notice that his towel lay on the ground.

'That's what happens when I'm wounded.' Chase smiled as he remembered the day he met Zoey. He made her so happy.

'I'm such a dork,' thought Chase. He stood up, only to be knocked down again by none other than Michael.

"Michael? I thought you were in the infirmary?" questioned Chase.

Michael took a few deep breaths because he had just escaped from the infirmary. He noticed the scars on Chase's chest.

"Yea…but I wasn't sick….I'm running from…"

"AHHHGGG!" yelled the creepy man-child nurse lady as she re-knocked both Chase and Michael to the ground. She grabbed them and yanked them up onto their feet.

Looking at Michael, she yelled "You're sick." Now looking at Chase she yelled "You're wounded. Both of you are coming with me."

"Oh man," complained the two boys as they were dragged to the infirmary.

**(A/N: So… what did you think? What is Chase's secret? Can you guess? Here is a hint. September is childhood cancer awareness month. Okay, that's enough of me. I hope you guys enjoyed it. Updates will be weekly probably. God bless.)**


	2. Chapter 2: The Secret

Chase's Scars Chapter 2: The Secret

**(A/N: I hope you guys liked the last chapter. I know Chase was shirtless in the last episode of season one, but like I said he glistens so no one noticed. Also, this chapter will differ in the ending of Girls Will Be Boys just a bit. Enjoy.)**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Zoey 101.**

"_A man of many companions may come to ruin, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother."-Proverbs 18:24_

"Are you ready Chase?" asked the nurse.

Chase squeezed the hands of his parents. "Yes ma'am."

A team of nurses in blue scrubs held down Chase's legs as they inserted a needle in the middle of both of his thighs. Chase cringed and felt tears roll down his face as the needle went in, but that was only a small portion of the pain, the majority of which would come from the medicine itself.

As the nurses injected the medicine, Chase let out screams of pain and agony. Although he knew better, Chase reached for the syringes. Before he could reach them, someone grabbed his hands.

"Almost done Chase," said the nurse.

He let out more screams as his head went back to the bed. He had never experienced such pain before, not even when the doctor told him he had…

"CHASE!"

Chase awoke from his nightmare to see Michael holding Chase's arm and standing over him. "Are alright man?" asked Michael, the worry evident in his voice. Chase could barely make out the image of Michael's face due to the darkness of the infirmary. Sadly, the two boys "had" to be admitted overnight. **(A/N: I know Chase would not need to stay that long for a simple cut, but just go with it. Maybe the nurse said he was infected by Michael. Use your imagination.)**

With tears still fresh in his eyes, Chase hugged Michael, crying into his shoulder. Michael, although at first taken back by his friend's break-down, hugged Chase back. He knew his friend needed him. After a few minutes, Chase let go of Michael.

"No Michael. I'm not alright," replied Chase as he wiped the remaining tears off of his face.

"What's wrong?" Michael let out a chuckle. "Did the Teletubbies try to get you again?"

Chase beamed at Michael with fury. This was not the time to talk about his Teletubby dreams.

"Umm," Michael scratched his head. "Too soon?"

"Yes."

"Sorry." They sat in silence for what seemed like an eternity before Michael chose to speak up.

"Does it have anything to do with that scar on your chest?" he asked.

Chase's face flushed. He felt his heart beat faster. _'How did he see it? Why hasn't he said something before? I've been extra careful. It must have happened when he ran into me. Crud.' _ Chase, still sitting up in his bed, looked down at his hands. "Yes." Chase felt terrible. Michael saw the scar. There was no avoiding it; he had to tell him.

"Well, what happened?" asked Michael, sitting on the edge of Chase's bed. Chase sighed before choosing an indirect method to answer Michael's question.

"Look at my hair," said Chase.

"Uhh, I can't really see it," replied Michael.

"Well, what does it usually look like?"

"It usually looks like a brown bush. Why do you ask?"

Hesitantly Chase decided to respond. "Do you want to know why it looks like a bush?" He did not want to spill the beans too soon. Chase's inner writer desired for the plot to thicken for his not-so-bright friend.

"I would think it would be because of genetics? I mean, why else would you have a bush for a head?" replied Michael with a laugh. Chase smiled. Michael, although clueless, was someone that Chase considered to be his brother rather than just his friend. He could usually make him smile. _'That's what brothers do.'_ thought Chase.

"My hair is bushy because of all of the curls. People say that curls are actually kisses from an angel," explained Chase.

"O…Kay. What's that got to do with anything?"

"I'm getting there. Answer my question first. Why would an angel kiss someone?"

"I don't know. Maybe they wanted some love. Maybe they needed some help man I don't know!" cried out Michael, who wanted the truth.

"Exactly! They needed help. And a person might need help if they were sick. Sick enough to need some strong medicine, like chemotherapy. And what is chemotherapy for Michael?" asked Chase. Michael shrugged with a confused look still plastered to his face.

_'Where is Chase going with this?'_

"Chemotherapy is for cancer treatment. Look I still don't see what any of this has to do with your scar. How does your bush of a head have anything to do with-". It suddenly hit Michael like a punch to the face. Chase's words finally dawned on Michael. He suddenly became filled with grief for his friend.

"Oh Chase no," pleaded Michael, wishing what Chase had told him was false, but

Michael knew that the facts did not lie, and all of the facts were there. The screams, the nightmares, the scar, and even Chase's unnaturally bushy head all pointed to that one, six letter word.

"Oh yes Michael. The reason my hair is bushy, the reason I have that scar." Chase paused for a moment. He was about to reveal his secret, a secret that not even Zoey knew, and he told her everything, well almost everything. A burden was about to be lifted off of Chase's shoulders. He let out a sigh.

"It's because I had cancer."


	3. Chapter 3: The Worst Day of Chase's Life

Chase's Scars Chapter 3: The Worst Day of Chase's Life

**(A/N: I hope you guys enjoyed the last chapter. I actually had some writer's block on this chapter but I squeezed it out. There will be about one or two more chapters after this. Enjoy.)**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Zoey 101.**

"_Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn."- Romans 12:15_

Chase let the words sink in to Michael's brain. _'That's right everybody, Chase Matthews had cancer!' _thought Chase. Chase wished he had not told him because now Michael carried a secret that was not his to carry.

"When did you have it?" asked Michael.

"I was diagnosed with leukemia on November first, five years ago," Chase replied solemnly. Michael looked down. His best friend had cancer. How could this be? How could someone so young be afflicted with cancer? Michael quickly changed the subject to lighten the mood.

"Hey Chase since it is after midnight, it's now officially your birthday. HAPPY BIRTHDAY CHASE!" yelled Michael.

Chase facepalmed, hard. He let out a heavy sigh at the stupidity of his friend.

"Michael, what is the date of my birthday?" asked Chase.

"Your birthday is November-" Michael paused. It was his turn to facepalm. "First. Your birthday is on November first."

"Bingo. I haven't looked forward to my birthday in five years," stated Chase.

"I'm sorry," said Michael. He wanted to make his friend feel better, but it was not going to be easy. Forgetting the pain of cancer is never an easy thing to forget.

"Hey how about we throw a party? That will take your mind off of things," suggested Michael enthusiastically.

"No no no. No party."

"Why not? It will make you feel better."

"No it won't. I will be sad, and despite how much I will fake happiness, Zoey will know that I'm faking. Then she'll ask questions and-"

"Okay I get it. But why don't you want Zoey to know?" asked Michael.

_'Boy are you dumb,'_ thought Chase.

"I don't want her and everyone else to think that I am a freak that's why!" yelled Chase. "Like seriously! Cancer is supposed to be for old people not nine-year-old boys! I would lose her and everyone else! You can't tell anyone!" demanded Chase.

Although Michael did feel foolish, he could not believe Chase's claims. Zoey, and all of their friends, would only care for Chase more. However, he was going to respect Chase's wishes.

"Please Michael. Don't tell anyone. I promise I will tell them when I am ready," pleaded Chase.

"If that is what you really want Chase, then I…I won't tell anyone," promised Michael.

Chase's P.O.V.

We went to sleep after that. It was about 2:15 a.m. That morning I was released, but Michael was actually sick so he had to stay. That was alright because I wanted to be alone. It's a twisted irony that a boy hates his birthday, the happiest day of a kid's life. For me, my birthday has been the worst day of my life. I wanted to spend it alone. But first I needed to

brush my teeth. It really did smell. I walked to my dorm room and entered. I was surprised that Logan was up because it was only 9:30. He was listening to music so I was not surprised that he did not notice I had walked in. I grabbed my brush and paste.

"Happy birthday Chase," said Logan as I headed for the door. I stopped dead in my tracks. I did not turn, but simply said "thank you" and headed for the bathroom. I finished brushing my teeth and stared at myself. I ran a hand through my bushy hair. It would probably never become straight again. After you lose your hair from chemotherapy, it always comes back curly. Usually the curls go away, but after five years I do not think that they will go away. I kind of liked by bush though, and so does Zoey. I will keep it for her.

_'Chase, you have cancer.' _The doctor's words ran in my head over and over. Since when did kids get cancer? When I was nine, I was under the impression that only old people could get cancer. Boy was I wrong. Children are diagnosed with cancer every day. I walked out and placed my things in the drawer. I headed towards the door when I noticed that Logan was gone. He must have had something to do. Maybe he needed to buy another mirror. I walked to the lounge to get a drink when I was surprised to see Zoey, Nicole, Lola, Quinn, and Logan with a cake.

"HAPPY BIRTHDAY!" they shouted. Zoey ran forward and hugged me.

"Happy birthday Chase!" she said. I hugged her back, but I hesitated.

"Chase, what's wrong?" she asked. How does she always know when something is wrong? It is like she has a literal connection to my brain. Everyone was staring at me, concerned looks plastered onto their faces.

"I uhh, need to go to the bathroom," I sputtered out.

Zoey giggled. "Okay. Hurry though," she said with a smile. I walked back into the hall and bolted for the exit. I started running across campus because I could not stand the idea of having party, not today.

"CHASE!" I heard Zoey yell. She must have seen me run out. I kept running though, until I tripped over a tree root in front of the infirmary. Oh the irony.

Zoey caught up and knelt down beside me.

"Chase, why are you running away?" she asked.

"I'm sorry Zo I just need to be alone," I told her. I got up to run, but she grabbed my arm. I looked back at her, my green eyes meeting her brown ones. I was overcome with sadness. I had to run from Zoey, of all people. She was my best friend and I was running from her. Tears started to form in my eyes. I could not stand to see Zoey upset, but I could not tell her, not yet. "I'm sorry Zo." I ripped my arm free and ran.

"CHASE!" I heard her yell, but I just kept running as tears fell down my face.

Normal P.O.V.

Zoey started to run towards Chase but was stopped by Michael, who was just released from the infirmary.

"Zoey you can't go after him," said Michael.

"Why not? It's his birthday and he's crying! Someone's got to help him!" She tried to run, but Michael grabbed her again.

"Michael get off I have to-"

"No Zoey you don't. You always want to help him, but guess what Zoey he doesn't want your help!" Zoey had that look of "did he really just say that?". She smacked Michael in the arm.

"Ow. Look Chase just needs time to be alone. He has some things he needs to deal with. Just let him be alone."

"Why? What does he need to deal with that's so bad he can't tell me?" asked Zoey, who was now getting very agitated. She always got angry when people did not tell her things, especially when _he_ would not tell her things. _'Why can't he just tell me why he is upset? Doesn't Chase know how much I care for him?'_ thought Zoey.

"Zoey, I….I can't tell you. When Chase is ready to tell you, he will," said Michael. Zoey took a deep breath. She decided she would try to pry the truth out of Chase or Michael.

"Fine. I won't ask him. But I will be there for him," said Zoey as she headed off in Chase's direction. It took her a few minutes, but she found him sitting on a rock by the lake, the same lake where they had skipped rocks a year ago. Once again Zoey was going to comfort Chase by the still waters of the lake. He was crying this time though. She walked up to him, sitting down next to him. Chase did not look up for he knew who it was. He opened his mouth to speak, but Zoey cut him off.

"Chase I know you're upset. I know you want to be alone. I won't ask you any questions, but I want you to know that I am here for you," said Zoey. She cared about Chase far too much to let him be sad by himself. She was going to share in his sadness if it meant she could be there for him.

They sat in silence for a moment before Chase laid his head on Zoey's shoulder with a river of tears rushing down his face. She placed an arm around him and leaned her head on his. Seeing her best friend breaking down broke her down as well. In a few moments, she was crying as well. Time passed slowly as the sobs were shed for hours. Zoey was relieved to finally hear Chase stop crying. He sat up straight and looked at Zoey. Once again she had comforted him in his time of need. She was always there for him when he needed her the most. No matter how many fights they got into, she was always there for him in his true moments of need. Chase hugged Zoey, who returned his embrace.

"Thank you Zoey."

**(A/N: Do ya'll think Chase will tell Zoey? Will he ever have a happy birthday again? Stay tuned and review to find out.)**


	4. Chapter 4: You're Not Supposed to Know

Chase's Scars Chapter 4: You're Not Supposed to Know

**(A/N: I hope you guys enjoyed the last chapter. This one is centered more around Chase and Zoey than the other chapters. The next chapter will be the LAST chapter and I will try to make it longer than the others. Enjoy.)**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Zoey 101.**

Chase sat quietly on a bench in his back yard. The sun was setting on the cool summer evening. He stared at the open field that was his back yard. His home was ten minutes outside of Baltimore. It was an isolated homestead that was close to nature. The calmness of the grass and trees, with the quietness of the still waters of the pond always made Chase feel better.

Rebecca walked out of the house and sat next to Chase. They sat in silence before she decided to speak.

"So. You had cancer," she stated hesitantly.

"Yea. I did."

"When?"

"When I was nine. Look Rebecca you're not supposed to know. No one is supposed to know," said Chase. Rebecca was shocked. What was the big deal? Why did it matter so much that she knew?

"Well, what is so bad about me knowing? Chase, having cancer just made you who you are. I'm not going to treat you differently because of something you could not control," said Rebecca.

Chase smiled. At least someone else had the decency to be like that, to not mock him for situations beyond his control.

"Thank you Rebecca," said Chase. **(A/N: Don't hate me for this. I hated writing this scene so much, but it had to be done.)** He looked at Rebecca and stared into her eyes. They leaned closer to each other until their lips met. Chase pulled away.

"Rebecca?"

"Yes?"

"Please don't tell anyone," he asked of her.

"I promise I won't tell," she said as she kissed Chase again.

Zoey's P.O.V.

**(A/N: The story is now in season three. All events that happened after the episode Girls Will Be Boys have occurred. It is about two weeks before the episode Chase's Grandma.)**

Chase's birthday was approaching fast. I wanted it to be perfect for him. He was so upset last year, and I could not bear to see him like that again. But he has been getting so angry as of late. I hoped it was not be anything too serious. I was laid out on my bed, cuddling with a teddy bear that Chase had given me. I named him Fuzzy Head because he reminded me of Chase. As I sat there with him, I had the urge to talk to Chase. I picked up my cell phone and dialed his number.

"Hey Zo." His voice filled me with joy. Don't tell anyone, but I think I'm starting to like Chase.

"Hey Chase. So I was thinking that for your birthday that we could-"

"No."

"What? Why can't I-"

"Zoey. No. You won't do anything for my birthday," he said with agitation.

I was getting angry with him. First he cut me off twice and then he won't let me do anything for his birthday.

"Okay Chase I don't know what you are so upset about or why you won't let me give you a part-". The line went dead. Did he just hang up on me? My jaw dropped. I cannot believe that he just did that. Lola and Quinn walked into our room.

"Hey Zo. What's up?" asked Lola. I got up off the bed.

"Move it," I demanded as I brushed past them.

"What's her problem?" I heard Quinn say as I walked away. I did not care because I had one mission right now; smack Chase. As I headed towards Maxwell Hall, an old little witch stepped right in front of me.

"Oh hey Zoey. You seem to be a bit flustered. What's wrong?" asked Rebecca sarcastically. I was filled with anger anytime that the skunkbag spoke.

"Outta my way Rebecca. I need to see Chase," I said as I pushed her aside.

"Oh are you and your boyfriend having a fight?" she retorted.

I stopped dead in my tracks and turned around.

"He's not my boyfriend," I said, but I really wanted him to be.

"Oh I'm sure he isn't. He probably hasn't even told you his precious little secret," she replied with that snippy, arrogant voice she has. My blood began to boil.

"What secret?" I asked her with both confusion and anger. Chase did not have any secrets that he did not share with me. **(A/N: Zoey probably felt this way in the show. It's funny because he has two big secrets that Zoey doesn't know about.)**

"So sorry Zoey. I promised I wouldn't tell," said Rebecca. She turned around and walked off.

I was really confused now. What was she talking about? Chase didn't have any secrets, right? Or was this secret making him so mad? Was it related to last year? I had to find out. I entered Maxwell Hall and made my way to Chase's dorm room. I tried to barge into his room, but it was locked. That boy, he must have known that I would come after him since he hung up on me. He's lucky because I would have smacked him by now.

"CHASE! OPEN THIS DOOR!" I yelled as I repeatedly hit the door. "Chase! I know you're in there! Open up!"

"Do I have to?" asked Chase with sarcasm.

"Yes!" I yelled back. I heard footsteps coming closer to the door. I heard a click just before the door opened.

"Hey Zo-". I didn't give Chase time to finish. I entered, shut the door, and pushed Chase onto the couch. I got on top of him, a leg on each side of him. We were sitting up. I was going to make sure he told me the truth, all of it.

"Zoey what are you doing?" he asked with his face turning bright red.

"I'm making sure you can't leave until I get the truth," I replied.

"Uh… this is a bit awkward."

"I know. Now what is your secret?" I did not think that Chase's face could get any redder, but it did. I had him now.

"What secret?" he said with ignorance. I punched him in the arm.

"You know what secret! The one that you've been keeping from me for a year!"

"I can't tell you," he said.

"Oh really? You can't tell me but you can tell your skunkbag ex-girlfriend?!"

"She… she wasn't supposed to know."

"But she does. You told her but not me, your best friend," I said looking right at him. I stared into those pretty green eyes and resisted the urge to kiss him. He looked down.

"I'm sorry Zoey. She just found out during the summer. I didn't, I didn't want her to

know. I didn't want hurt you. It's just, you're not supposed to know," confessed Chase. He continued to look down. I felt kinda guilty now. He never wanted to hurt me or upset me. He did not want to tell that skunkbag, praise the Lord. But why could he not tell me? I placed a hand on each side of his face as I raised his head up. His gaze caught mine. I smiled at him.

"But why can't I know Chase? You can tell me anything. You know that right?" I asked him.

"I know Zoey. It's just, it's something really personal. It's something that I didn't want anyone to know."

"Chase, just tell me! I want to help you. I want to be there for you," I said sadly. My head dropped. Why couldn't he just trust me enough to tell me? We have been through so much, and I really do think that I love Chase. He placed his hand under my chin, raising my head until our gazes met again.

"Tell you what. In two weeks, on my birthday, I'll tell you my secret," said Chase with his signature smile. I loved to see it.

"Promise?" I asked, holding up my pinky.

"Promise," he said, locking his pinky with my own. I smiled at him again.

"So. Do you want to go to Sushi Rox?" I asked. He smiled at me. I loved to see him happy.

"I'd love to."

**(A/N: I broke one thousand words again. Achievement unlocked. There will be one more chapter after this and I will try to make it as long as I can. I lot of events need to happen before I can say that this story is over. But do not fear, I will have many more Zoey 101 stories after this that I will post weekly, unless it is a chapter story, but it will have weekly updates. I hope you enjoyed and stay tuned. Next Saturday Zoey will finally find out and Chase just might get his dream girl a little sooner than Dan Schneider wanted.) **


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